Campbell County mine to provide coal to Missouri-based co-op for at least next seven years

GILLETTE (WNE) — Peabody Energy announced this month that it signed a contract to provide 7 to 8 million tons of coal a year to Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. for at least the next seven years.

Under this new contract, Peabody will supply Associated’s coal requirements for the New Madrid Power Plant and Thomas Hill Energy Center in Missouri from the North Antelope Rochelle Mine, located in southern Campbell County.

Associated Electric Cooperative, founded in 1961, generates electricity for more than 2 million people in rural Missouri, northeast Oklahoma and southeast Iowa.

Peabody’s NARM has delivered coal to Associated generating stations for more than 30 years. NARM is the largest coal mine in North America and one of the largest in the world, selling 60 million tons of coal in 2024.

“This substantial agreement demonstrates the ongoing importance of Peabody’s coal in providing reliable, affordable baseload electricity for years to come,” said Peabody President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Grech in a press release. “American demand for electricity is growing for the first time in many years given increased power needs from data centers and artificial intelligence.”

This story was published on April 21, 2025.